It was a day all of us at the Etsy Craftvist SG team were looking forward to. Yeah, none other than our Etsy Craft Party 2016! For those who are new to Etsy, the Etsy Craft Party is an annual celebration that sees people around Singapore and the world come together to explore their favourite creative pursuits and learn from fellow crafters. 2016 marks the seventh annual Craft Party celebration and the fourth event Etsy Craftivist SG has hosted in Singapore since 2013.

This year, we are proud to work with The Art Faculty by Pathlight at The Enabling Village, who has gladly agreed to be our event sponsor. This makes our Etsy Craft Party even more meaningful, as we are not only having fun crafting with participants, but also contributing to a good cause to promote the artistic talents of autistic children.

The theme for the this year’s Etsy Craft Party is “Print by Hand”. Some activities our team had put together include stations for gelli painting, screen printing and batik painting. There was also a station for children to come together to create a community mural using paints and rolling pins.

What did our team do to get the venue all ready for the Etsy Craft Party? Check out these behind the scenes photos! It’s all about team work!

Hanging up buntings at the entrance to welcome participants

Setting up the photography booth

Decorating the venue with pretty paper flowers

Buntings are up!

Everyone has a part to play in getting the venue ready!

Participants started streaming in at 3.30pm. We saw a diverse group of participants ranging from families and friends to couples and more. This is what our team hopes to achieve through the Etsy Craft Party, to allow people from all walks of life to bond together through crafting! This is where all the fun begins, to learn and craft together as a community!

These are the highlights of the day:

Gelli Painting

Gelli Painting station

Participant getting her hands dirty with gelli painting

Completed gelli painting artwork

Participant stamping on her gelli block

Screen Printing

Screen printing station

Participant trying her hands in screen printing

Participant working hard at the screen printing station

The screen printing station is one of the hot favourites among participants!

Participants having fun with screen printing

Our little participant with her screen printing creation!

Batik Painting

Batik painting station

Participants creating beautiful artworks using batik painting

Closeup of batik painted cat

A beautiful work of art with batik painting

Participant proudly displaying her completed batik painting

Rolling Pin Painting

Rolling pin painting station

These rolling pins are ready to go!

Boy trying out his rolling pin activity

Girl having fun at the rolling pin painting station

Participants, both young and old coming together to paint using roller pins

Besides these awesome crafting activities, the first 50 participants who signed up also went home with an attractive goody bag consisting of freebies and vouchers sponsored by local crafters. And not forgetting a lucky draw at the end of the party where five lucky participants walked away with prizes of over a $100 each, all contributed by our warm-hearted crafters! Thank you all for your contribution and congratulations to all the winners!

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After a long wait of over two months, Kokka Japan finally updated that our fabrics are shipping out on 13 April and ETA on 20 April! Yes, they will be available in Singapore soon…yeah! This lot of new shipment includes our all-time favourite fabrics from Nani IRO, Echino and Kokka.

If you are following us on Facebook and Instagram, you would have seen us taking preorders in February. Thereafter, we had quickly placed our orders with Kokka, only to be told that some Nani IRO 2016 collections were out of stock and we would need to wait for a month for them to be restocked. The one-month wait then extended to two months. Guess these newly released fabrics were selling like hot cakes and Kokka was unable to meet the huge surge in demand.

If you have never heard of Nani IRO fabrics, then you would have missed laying your hands on the world’s prettiest fabrics! Nani IRO is a Japanese label designed by Naomi Ito for Kokka Japan. Her beautiful collections are often seen as art and watercolor still life on fabrics. Most of these fabrics are made of double gauze, a material that is a signature of Japanese fabrics produced by two layers of gauze that are woven simultaneously on the loom. Double gauze are known for their light, cool and soft texture, often used for dressmaking and baby blankets. In fact, I’ve been using double gauze for making tote bags too and they’ve turned out very well.

When we first brought in Nani IRO in August 2015, we were amazed by its demand as over 90% of the designs were sold out within the first month of launch! Therefore for this new lot of collections, we had decided to take in preorders, to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to own these pretty fabrics. Who can resist these pretty fabrics???

Here’s a sneak preview of the gorgeous fabrics we are bringing in:

Nani IRO Beautiful Life

Five Senses

Nani IRO Komorebi

Nani IRO Lei Nani

Nani IRO Birds Eye

Colourful Pocho

Nani IRO Fuccra Rakuen

Nani IRO Fuwari Fuwari

Basic Pocho

In addition, check out these pretty bias tapes which we are also shipping in. They are perfect for matching up with the new fabrics!

Bias Tapes (Yunagi)

Bias Tapes (Kurisupu)

Bias Tapes (shinsei)

Bias Tapes (ibuki)

Bias Tapes (SHINJU)

Bias Tapes (Bugen)

We are counting down to their arrival date! This long waiting time is too much for us to bear! LOL. Cannot wait to have them listed in our Etsy shop for all fans of Japanese fabrics. Do watch this space for our further updates on their launch date. We are trying our best to have them listed for sale by end April.

We can still take preorders for these fabric collections and bias tapes. Email us at info@thecottonshoppe.com for more information.

Note: All images are copyright of Naomi Ito from ATELIER to nani IRO & KOKKA co.,ltd.

Hope everyone had a blessed and joyful Christmas! It has been a crazy two months for me fulfilling Christmas orders, participating in craft markets, conducting craft workshops in Singapore and more! Not forgetting that it is also the December school holidays and I need to find activities to entertain the kids too! I’ve been wanting to update my blog with the craft workshops in Singapore that I’ve been conducting but it has been such a mad house I couldn’t find the time to do so. Since I’m taking my well-deserved break now, it’s time I update everyone on what I have been up to.

Becoming a sewing and craft instructor was not something in my agenda, but something that’s God sent! Over the past year, I’ve been getting queries on whether I am conducting sewing and craft workshops in Singapore. Gradually, it started to dawn on me that this could be my calling, apart from selling my handmade creations. In addition, I have always enjoyed teaching and sharing my knowledge with people around me. Starting sewing and craft workshops in Singapore thus looked like the next natural thing to do.

It all started in June this year when friends from a Facebook sewing group asked if I could conduct applique classes. I had wanted to start a class for four or five people but it ended up over-subscribed with more than 50 people on the waiting list! This really kick-started a whole string of craft workshops in Singapore, with my first class in July. Since then, there were requests for other sewing and craft classes such as plush toy making, patchwork, basic sewing, tote bag making and more, which kept me busy for the past few months!

So far, I’ve been conducting classes at home, students’ homes, Spotlight and other craft events. Both private and small group classes are available. I’ve been conducting craft workshops in Singapore for the past six months and I wanted to share that the journey has been wonderful and most enriching! It has made my crafting journey more meaningful and fulfilling, as it allowed me to be more engaged with like-minded people in the crafting community. In a nutshell, it has raised my self-esteem and confidence as a “professional” crafter whom students look up to. I enjoy every single moment in a class, whether it’s for one or ten students, and always look forward to the next one. I guess the most fulfilling part of being an instructor is seeing my students grow from strength to strength and knowing how my sharing has made them progress in their crafting journey.

Check out some photos of the craft workshops in Singapore I had conducted over the past few months:

Owl Applique Pillow Workshop

Owl applique pillow class in session

Hand applique of owl pillow

Even the gentlemen are having fun sewing!

We have kids joining us too

Completed applique pillow by student

Owl Plush Toy Workshop

Owl plush class in session

Hand applique of owl’s body

Stuffing the owl plush toy

Final stitching of owl plush toy

Completed owl plush toys by students

Tote Bag Workshop

Tote bag workshop in session

Completed Star Wars tote bag by student

Patchwork Pillow Workshop

Student at work on pillow top

Patchwork pillow class in session

Pressing of pillow top

Piecing of patchwork pillow top

Students busy at work on their patchwork pillows

Completed patchwork pillow by student

Christmas Ornaments Workshop

Putting Mr Snowman together

Christmas ornaments workshop in session

Sewing of snowman ornament

Completed Christmas ornaments

Christmas Tree Pillow Workshop

Applique is done and ready for final assembly

Assembly of Christmas applique pillow

Completed Christmas applique pillow by student

In 2016, I will be introducing a series of new craft workshops in Singapore such as basic quilting, drawstring bag, felt ornaments, mug rugs and more . These are what I will be teaching in January 2016:

I know I’ve been guilty for not updating this blog as often as I wished to. It has been extremely crazy for me over the past few months with my new fabrics business, fulfilling custom orders (as always) and launch of my sewing workshops (more on this in my upcoming blog posts!). The launch of our Kokka fabrics in August was a great success. Thank you everyone for your great support and encouragement!

The Nani IRO fabrics was a phenomena. They were selling like hot cakes even during the pre-order period, far beyond our expectations! We sold over 50% of the 25 bolts of Nani IRO fabrics we imported in August alone and currently, we only have remnants left for most of the collections. Likewise, the kawaii Kokka Fabrics we brought in are also a hot favourite, with some collections sold out by now.

So, we have many customers who were disappointed that they couldn’t lay their hands on the gorgeous collections from Kokka Fabrics and Nani IRO. Many asked if we are going to restock from Japan. Sadly, most of these pretty collections are also out of stock in Japan and we are unable to restock anymore. However, the good news is, the new 2016 collections will be out soon and we are definitely looking into importing more gorgeous collections from Kokka Fabrics and Nani IRO!

We have all of our collections from Kokka Fabrics and Nani IRO listed in Etsy. Here are some of the kawaii fabrics we listed recently:

Little Red Riding Hood Double Gauze Collection

Forest Animals Double Gauze Collections

Sailor Cotton Oxford Collection

Dogs, Cats and Rabbits Double Gauze Collection

Zoo Animals Cotton Collections

Cars Cotton Oxford Collection

Chef Cotton Oxford Collections

Knights Cotton Oxford Collections

Patchwork Animals Cotton Collections

Marine Canvas Collection

Our favourite has to be the kawaii Alice In Wonderland collections! They come in both cotton and canvas materials:

Alice in Wonderland Canvas Collections

Alice in Wonderland Canvas Collections

Alice in Wonderland Cotton Collections

We have very limited quantities left of some of these collections. Visit our Etsy store at www.thecottonshoppe.etsy.com to check them out before they fly off the shelves! We are also currently running a 15% storewide discount for our fabrics. Do visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/madewithcotton to find out how to claim this offer!

We will also be setting up a booth at the Public Garden Consumer Trade Show on 24 & 25 October at Suntec Convention Hall 403. Come visit us to see our kawaii Japanese fabrics! More updates on this coming soon

It’s just about eight days to the launch of our Japanese fabrics in Etsy and we are counting down! They are so kawaii and pretty and simply irresistible! As mentioned in my previous blog post, I was so blessed to receive the distributorship for the Nani IRO fabric collections. They were on my #1 wishlist and I love every single design that’s out there. If there’s one fabric I need to own, it has to be Nani IRO fabric! 😉

If you’ve never heard of Nani IRO, it is a label designed for Kokka Japan by famous Japanese artist Naomi Ito. It consists of beautiful collections that are seen as art on fabric and watercolor still life on fabric. Most of the Nani IRO fabric comes in 100% cotton double gauze material, which are widely used for dressmaking and light interior items such as quilts and bed linen. If you are not sure what a double gauze material is, they are manufactured from two layers of open woven (mesh-like) textile that are attached to each other using small almost invisible stabbing. Japan is famous for the manufacture of perfect double gauze fabrics. Frankly, I’ve never seen double gauze cotton till I shipped Nani IRO fabric over and I can’t stop raving about how soft and comfortable they are!

Besides double gauze cotton, there are also various designs from Nani IRO fabric collections that are printed on a smooth blend of linen and cotton. These are the heavier weight fabrics which are ideal for home decor items, bags and thicker clothings.

Some of the collections I’m carrying include En Garden, Poppy Trip, Mountain Views, Spectacle, Birds Eye, Pocho and more! Aren’t they so pretty? I’m still in the process of photographing these pretty fabrics and will be sharing more once the images are ready.

I’ve always been in love with Japanese fabrics since I started sewing. Their designs are too cute and I love the quality of Japanese cottons with their unique weaving. Kokka, Cosmo, Yuwa…these are some of my favourite Japanese fabric manufacturers. However, they are so expensive to ship from Japan or elsewhere. Over in Singapore, it is very difficult to find a good Japanese fabric store and these fabrics are usually too expensive to purchase compared to USA fabrics.

So, for years, I’ve been dreaming of owning my own Japanese fabric store selling all these awesome kawaii fabrics from Japan. Not only can I fuel my fetish for Japanese fabrics, I’ll also be able to peg a gap in the market by making these fabrics more affordable for other crafters. In late 2014, I finally got in touch with Kokka Japan on my wholesaling enquiries. This was followed through with a business trip to Hong Kong in May to meet up with a Kokka representative and to select the fabrics I wish to purchase. Thank god I’ve also found a like-minded partner for this new business venture! After a planning which spanned over six months, I’m happy to declare that my Japanese fabric store dream has now become a reality!

On 4 July, my Japanese fabrics from Kokka finally came knocking on my door!

Fabrics have finally arrived!

Unpacking fabrics from the boxes

My little labourers busy at work!

Edith busy stacking fabrics on the shelves

All fabrics are finally neatly arranged on the shelves!

Getting my hands on these pretty fabrics is really more than a dream come true! I’ve close to 100 bolts of fabrics shipped, a good number to set up my humble Japanese fabric store. What’s worth looking out for is my collection of Nani IRO fabrics from Kokka Japan. Nani IRO is a Japanese label designed by Naomi Ito for Kokka Japan. Her beautiful collections are often seen as art and watercolor still life on fabrics. They come in a variety of material such as double gauze cotton, printed canvas and printed twill to suit all your sewing needs. Kirei desu!

Do look out for my blog posts over the next few weeks leading to the launch, as I’ll be sharing some of the kirei and kawaii fabric designs available. You can also visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/madewithcotton or follow me at Instagram (@the_cotton_shoppe) for more updates. (Hint: I’ll also be running a pre-launch promotion in Facebook soon, so that’s also something to look forward to! 😉